Friday, January 2, 2009

On Eating My Peas...

Yeah, I had resolutions for 2008. Not many, but enough to give me a little push. Here they are and how they went...

1. Run 500 miles: I ran 345... but more than I've ever done in a year.

2. Learn Spanish: Rosetta Stone helped out a little on this one, but just a little.

3. Okay, so I can't remember my third one, just that I had it...

Anyway, a friend of mine recently commented that many people tend to believe, each New Years, that our lives will mysteriously change and life will suddenly be different. A conservative observation but a valid one... I mean, why not be content with who you are? It is a fresh beginning but most people do fail to live up to their resolutions. Look at me! Me llamo Joel. I can't even remember my last one!

Still, I admire resolutions and those who make them. To be honest, I think they make a huge difference. Some may consider them wishful thinking, but they seem to me, much closer to prayer. Eisenhower said, that "In preparing[...] I have found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." I love that, because what matters most is not that we change the world but that we change ourselves. We may not find the outcome to match our ideal but it's in those moments that we explore our selves that we are changed, a little here and a little there... enough to matter and to make a difference.

So, with that, here are my simple resolutions for 2009:

1. Run 1000 miles.

2. Read 12 books of my choosing.

3. Remember my third resolution...

1 comment:

ALEXANDER BENNETT said...

I love this. There is definitely a balance between wishful thinking and seeing a change need to happen. I have never really believed in new year's resolutions, I've never really needed one. I can remember making a small resolution here and there, but every year I would go buy a new moleskine journal. One of those black journals with the band that goes around the book and the little pocket in the back. My goal would be to fill one up during the year. I've done that 3 years running, but this year I think I will just blog. If [and maybe if..] anything that I say is actually useful, a least people will be able to read it if it is published on my blog.